What They Never Told Him (boyxboy)

Chapter 12: Great Uncle Gilbert Bertillon (Mar.)

Downstairs Noah sobbed into Shade's chest as the boy tried to calm him down. Noah expected the reaction he got but he didn't expect it would hurt as badly as it did. He felt like his heart was being ripped out of chest. His mother's happiness about him and Shade turning to sorrow and sadness when he told her he was pregnant. His father hardly spoke a word to him after Sheila ran off, he instead instructed them to stay where they were until he returned meaning he wanted to speak to them.

Upstairs Shade could hear the muffled yells of Sheila and Scott as they argued. Even though the words were muffled he could still make out some of what was being said.

Sheila was yelling about how she let this happen and how she should have paid more attention to Noah and how they shouldn't have moved. Scott was yelling about how it wasn't Sheila's fault and it was better it happened here than in their hometown because Noah would have probably been harmed had it happened there. He then blamed himself for it saying he noticed marks on Noah but when Noah shut him out he gave him space.

They were more upset with themselves than they were at Noah who clearly wasn't paying attention since his mind was going through hundreds of scenarios where his parents come down the stairs and tell him to pack his things and leave. How he would never see Adrian or Rose again, how his family back home would hear the news and disown him. Noah was breaking and no matter how safe he felt with Shade no matter how much the mercury eyed boy tried to soothe him Noah just kept breaking and breaking.

After some time the house was quiet. Rose slept through the whole commotion and Adrian was blaring music in his headphones to drown it out. Noah sat quietly unmoving, tears still fell from his eyes but the cries stopped. After what felt like hours of silence Shade heard a bedroom door open before it closed moments later and foot falls heading towards the stairs.

Scott entered the dining room, his eyes red as a silent Sheila trailed behind him. When Sheila saw the state of her son she rushed over to hug the boy. Noah hugged his mother back sobbing quietly as he apologized. Shade felt a sting of pain watching the two, it was like watching two broken butterflies trying to help each other fly again. For the first time since finding out about Noah's pregnancy Shade felt guilt and shame. Guilt that he caused this to happen and shame that he was excited about it.

Scott could see the pained expressions on Shade's face and put a firm hand on the boy's shoulder. When Sheila and Noah finally settled down Scott went back upstairs into his room to retrieve something. Sheila, Noah and Shade waited for Scott to return.

Scott came back with a small photo book. A photo book Noah had never seen. Sheila sat next to Scott as he flipped through the old photo book that was passed down for many years since it was falling apart. When Scott found what he was looking for he handed the book to the boys.

The picture was old but in almost mint condition. It was a photo of a man who looked to be in his mid to late thirties. He was smiling at the camera as he held the hand of a little girl no more than six or seven years old. The little girl in the photo was smiling with her empty hand on the man's protruding stomach. It took a moment for Noah to recognize the man as the pregnant man from the fading picture in the garage. The smile on his face made him almost unrecognizable. He was pregnant with a girl, Noah thought, remembering the first picture he saw and how the little girl resembled the man. The date of the photo was marked 1929.

"That man is Gilbert Bertillon," Scott said, "He was my great uncle, your great granduncle." Scott continued, "he was born with the dominant Carrier gene."

Noah and Shade looked up at Scott and Sheila. They knew about Carriers and Seeds.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" Noah asked quietly.

Scott sighed, "Because none of his children including my siblings and I were born with a dominant Carrier gene, Gilbert was the first in our family to have the dominant gene." Scott looked at the photobook, "I didn't think I'd have children with the dominant Carrier gene so I didn't feel the need to say anything."

Sheila nodded. "No one in my family has had the gene." She added.

They didn't think that Noah, Adrian or Rose could potentially have a dominant Carrier or Seed gene. They didn't think they would ever be in a situation where their son would come to them pregnant.

It wasn't their fault, it wasn't Noah's fault, it wasn't anyone's fault, they were all ignorant and in the dark. But even so Sheila and Scott couldn't help but feel like they've failed Noah by never telling him about Scott's great uncle. It was what they never told him that led to this situation.

"Noah baby," Sheila said, "we don't blame you, okay?" she asked, Noah nodded sniffling, "you didn't know and we didn't tell you."

After a moment of silence Sheila spoke up again, "Do- Do you know how far along you are?"

"Far along?" Noah questioned.

"No, we don't." Shade answered for him, "We took the pregnancy tests about a week ago."

Sheila nodded. She excused herself from the table saying she was going to call the local clinic to see if she could get an appointment with a doctor for Noah. When Sheila left for the night it was just Scott, Noah and Shade.

"I'm not going to sit here and say I'm not upset with you two," Scott began, "but I'm also not going to act like I'm innocent in all this; even if you're both eighteen you should have known better than to have unprotected sex." Scott said, "I am however grateful that you both trust us enough to tell us the truth."

Scott got up from the table and left the dining room but not before kissing Noah on the forehead and patting Shade's shoulder before leaving.

"That was dramatic." Shade said, releasing the breath he had been holding.

Noah nodded, but felt better now. His friends knew and his parents knew. He wasn't sure what to think in regards to Shade's parents since Shade never really spoke about them.

After the family meeting Noah and Shade both retreated into Noah's room. Noah was so tired after the whole ordeal. He laid in bed, scooting over so Shade would have space to lie down also. They didn't speak, instead Shade turned off the bedroom lights and pulled the comforter over he and Noah. He took the smaller boy's body into his arms and hugged him close, planting a soft kiss on his forehead before they both fell asleep.